MCB Parliamentary Roundup: Key policy and legislation updates (23rd June-7th July)

What policy/legislation we’ve been engaging and key associated updates  

• Rwanda Policy: The Government’s Rwanda policy for asylum seekers, a part of the (now) Nationality and Borders Act, was deemed unlawful by the Court of Appeal. The MCB joined a wide coalition of organisations in raising awareness of, and voicing opposition to, the Nationality and Borders Bill since it was introduced in Parliament.  

UK government's plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda unlawful, says Court of Appeal https://t.co/pe3OTvJ3lx pic.twitter.com/LMB4Xjx37V

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) June 29, 2023

• Illegal Migration Bill (#RefugeeBanBill): A breathtakingly cruel and legally unworkable piece of legislation; it must be scrapped, but ensuring it complies with international law and protects everyone’s rights is a start. The MCB, as part of a coalition of 50+ organisations, joined Liberty Human Rights in supporting an International Compliance Amendment (Amendment 5) to the Bill as it entered Report stage in the House of Lords.
• Peers voted in favor of Amendment 5 to the Illegal Migration Bill. As things stand, the Bill cannot lead the UK into breaching international conventions on refugees, children’s rights, trafficking, statelessness and the European Convention on Human Rights. Watch this space as the Bill returns to the Commons for final stages.

COMPASSION
NOT CRUELTY

We've joined with 50+ charities, NGOs and human rights organisations calling on Parliament to change the Illegal Migration Bill to protect everyone's rights#StopTheBill pic.twitter.com/v6Nqq5YH80

— Liberty (@libertyhq) June 28, 2023

• Bill of Rights (#RightsRemovalBill): Was finally scrapped by the Government. It would have shredded our existing Human Rights Act, which has which has empowered people in the UK to help uphold and protect human rights for over 20yrs. Another win for all those that have campaigned so tirelessly to protect everyone’s rights.

"Having carefully considered the government's legislative programme in the round, I can inform the House that we have decided not to proceed with the Bill of Rights" pic.twitter.com/sZSm1e8aFm

— CJ McKinney (@mckinneytweets) June 27, 2023

[ENDS]